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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where do Patty and Walter marry?

2. Which two neighbors become embroiled in a conflict in "Good Neighbors"?

3. In ""Good Neighbors," Patty is known for being unable to do what?

4. Where is Patty originally from?

5. The one person Patty particularly adores is whom?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Walter's feelings regarding population growth?

2. What does Patty learn about Walter and his childhood?

3. What happens after Patty leaves Eliza for the last time?

4. How does Patty respond to Joey's relationship with Connie?

5. Why does Walter invite Richard to stay at his lake house?

6. When Richard is invited to stay at the lake house, what is the state of Patty and Walter's marriage?

7. What is Nameless Lake, and how does it get its name?

8. Who is Ethan Post, and how does he affect Patty and her family?

9. Who is Walter? How does Patty meet him, and what does she think of him?

10. Who are Patty's parents and what do they do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the issue of parenthood in the novel. What makes a good parent? Are there any good parents in the novel? What, in your opinion, is Franzen trying to say about being a parent?

Essay Topic 2

The characters are involved in many internal conflicts over the course of the novel. Choose three characters and explain how their internal conflict(s) impact both the plot and the characters themselves.

Essay Topic 3

Birds are central to the novel. Write an essay in which you analyze the impact of birds both on Walter's character and the novel as a whole.

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